March 2000            Volume 30            Number 6

March Program Combines Presentation With Field Trip A History of Bird Monitoring at Barr lake State Park

Bird banding has been described as an aspect as important to ornithology as the telescope is to astronomy. On March 9, Tony Leukering, Monitoring Coordinator for the Colorado Bird Observatory, will share with the Fort Collins Audubon Society a history of this facet of birding at Barr Lake State Park.

Tony has been banding birds for eighteen years. This translates into banding more than 22,000 birds of more than 240 species in 7 states and Mexico. He has worked for two c other bird observatories (Whitefish Point and Cape May) as well as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and held numerous other ornithological positions. Tony has taught bird monitoring techniques to Colorado Division of Wildlife and National Park Service biologists. Readers of "The Journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists" and CBO's "The Primary Source, " know that Tony has monitored Colorado birds from the western Uncompahgre Plateau to the eastern Pawnee National Grassland, and many points to the north and south of this state.

Don't miss this program, which will be followed on March 18, with a bird monitoring session with Tony on the Poudre River in Fort Collins. Watch the Coloradoan for meeting location and time or call Sue Kenney at 482-4425.

WHERE: Ludlow Room, Fort Collins Lincoln Center, 417 West Magnolia Street

Fort Collins Audubon Society programs and field trips are free and open to the public

President's Message

With warmer weather around the comer many people start spending more time out of doors -and so do their cats. Free- ranging cats have devastating effects on birds and small mammals. A study in Wisconsin showed that cats kill more than 40 million birds each year. Many cat owners say it's their instinct. This is true -but cats are not wildlife and cat populations are anything but natural. There are more than 66 million pet cats in the US. Additionally, unwanted free-roaming cats are estimated at 40-60 million. Wild bird and

small mammal populations cannot cope with this accelerated rate of predation. The American Bird Conservancy has excellent information about how to have a happy indoor cat. Contact them at 1250 24th Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037. Phone 202- 778-9666. Email: abc@abcbirds.org  My wonderful cat went from being an out- door cat to an indoor cat about 10 years ago. He sits at the windows where I have placed bird feeders nearby and is entertained for hours. I tell people he's the best birdwatcher in the house!

Sue Kenney

WILDLIFE IN YOUR BACKYARD
Wednesday, March 22, 7 -9 PM
Fort Collins Senior Center Multi-Use Room
1200 Raintree Drive

Your yard can provide habitat to wildlife and here's away to find out how to furnish the basic elements that will attract wild animals. The City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Education Coordinator, Sue Kenney, and local outdoor writer Miles Blumhardt, will furnish practical information on attracting wildlife to private backyards and small natural areas.

You can: 

Watching wild animals using the food, water and space that you have included in your backyard is very gratifying. Backyard wildlife habitats are rewarding, educational, and best when shared with others.

This program is part of the Environment-Issues, Impacts and Innovations series sponsored by the City of Fort Collins. For more information contact Sue Kenney at 224-6118. Everyone is welcome at this FREE event! Refreshments and door prizes available. 

Would you like to become a Master Naturalist Program Volunteer? Training sessions will be held every Wednesday, from 12:00 -3:30 PM, March 29 to May 17, 2000, plus five all-day Saturday field trips. There is no charge for the training program but participants must volunteer at least 40 hours to the public outreach program. Please call Sue Kenney; Natural Areas Education Coordinator, at 224-6118, for more information and an application. The deadline for submittal is March 17, 2000.

CONSERVATION CORNER

This is going to be another contentious year in the State legislature. It's an election year and there is virtually zero cooperation between the two parties. There are some good bills that need our support. There are also numerous bad bills, from an environmental view- point, that are going to need a lot of public outcry to convince our legislators to "kill " or otherwise defeat them. We need the help of all concerned citizens. Audubon of Colorado (previously the Colorado Audubon Council) employs a lobbyist, Jo Evans, to represent our views at the capitol. Each year she creates a summary of the bills that have environmental concerns. Then the Audubon Legislative Committee prioritizes the list and narrows them down to a manageable number for Jo to focus her efforts on. While in the past we relied upon a telephone tree to contact concerned citizens, we now have an email Legislative Alert Network to distribute information and initiate a Legislative Alert. If can call your legislator(s) (approximately 8 to 10 times per legislative session) we can add you to either our Telephone Calling Tree or our E-mail Legislative Alert Network. In either case you will be provided with background materials that explain the bills, Audubon's position, who to contact, and how to contact them. All you have to do is make a short telephone call and/or send a letter/fax/e-mail. Legislators consider phone calls and other citizen contacts very powerful, because they figure that for every constituent they hear from, there are nine others who feel the same way. That is why it is IMPORTANT TO NOT REMAIN SILENT! If you wish to be added to either list please call or e-mail Bill Miller, at 5mcorp@verinet.com or 493- 7693.

SAGE GROUSE AND SHARP-TAILED GROUSE VIEWING TOURS

On the weekends of April 29/30, May 6/7 , and May 13/14 there will be trips to view Sage Grouse (North Park / Walden) and Sharp-tailed Grouse (Hayden). The trip on each day is limited to 20 persons. Each trip begins at 6:30 PM the preceeding evening (Friday or Saturday) with a meal and short program.

Participants will meet the naturalists at 4 AM the next morning (Saturday or Sunday) and go to the sage grouse or sharptail leks. Other wildlife viewing is available. - Prices are $125 for two, double occupancy, or $75 per person, single occupancy. Prices include dinner, program, lodging, and transportation to viewing area. Motel and other contact information is too much to include here. For more information call or e-mail Bill Miller at 493- 7693 or 5mcorp@verinet.com. You can contact the Chambers of Commerce directly: Walden: 970- 723-4600; Hayden: 970-276-3955.

The Fort Collins Audubon Society meets at 7:30 PM on the second Thursday of each month, September through May, excluding December, in the Ludlow Room at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center, 417 West Magnolia Street. Members and non-members are welcome at all meetings, field trips and special events.

DATES TO REMEMBER

PROGRAMS

Thursday, March 9, 2000, 7:30 PM: The History of Bird Monitoring at Barr Lake State Park.

For info on all programs call Jackie Boss, 472-4353.

FIELD TRIPS

Saturday March 18, 7:00 AM: Larimer Lakes field trip.  Bring your lunch for this tour of lakes and reservoirs looking for migrating waterfowl and other area birds of interest, from Loveland to Rawhide.  Meet at the Prospect Ponds parking lot on Sharp Point Drive (just west of Poudre River bridge, and south of E. Prospect Road in Fort Collins).  Leader: Nick Komar, 970-416-7527, nick.komar@juno.com

Saturday, March 18: Bird monitoring field trip along the Poudre River with Tony Leukering.  Time and place to be announced.  Check the Coloradoan newspaper or call Sue Kenney at 224-6118.